1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to materials handling equipment and more particularly to a pivotable side skirt support assembly for belt conveyors that allows ready access to the skirts, wear plates and conveyor rollers for ease of inspection, maintenance and repair.
2. Description of the Related Art
In Swinderman, U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,669 issued Sep. 17, 1991, the frame must be removed to access the liner. The conveyor must be shut down during this long procedure. Further, adjusting the liner height requires shims which are difficult to install.
Skirts of elastomeric material in use for retaining materials on conveyor belts wear out over time, particularly when abrasive materials are being transported on the conveyor. The skirts have to be readjusted and replaced periodically. Conveyor systems for abrasive materials may also utilize ceramic wear plates on the skirts. If ceramic tiles are used they are subject to replacement over time. Hardened steel wear plates used on the walls also wear out and need replacing or adjustments over time.
The supports for the skirts in prior designs were positioned on either side of the conveyor and difficult to replace or adjust vertically as the skirts wore down. The Ostman U.S. Pat. No. 6,328,156, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, describes an improved skirt assembly that allows ready adjustment of the elastomeric member as it wears due to frictional contact with a conveyor belt and the material being transported thereon. Replacement of a worn-out liner on a skirt member may require a worker to climb onto the conveyor belt to effect removal. Also a maintenance worker would have to remove the supports for the skirts over the conveyor to access the skirt for inspections, adjustments or replacements.
Further, the conveyor idler wheels used to support the conveyor along its length are generally inaccessible when the supports for the skirts are located directly over the conveyor frame. Therefore adjustments and replacements of the idler wheels often require the removal of the skirt supports.
Depending on their length the skirt support members may be too heavy and may require two men to lift. Removing frame members for inspection, adjustment and maintenance of the conveyor idlers and the skirts is a slow, costly and potentially dangerous process and the conveyor must be shut down while the repairs are being made. The cost for running a conveyor with a skirt is thus unnecessarily high and this is especially true where the support structure for the skirts are welded in a fixed position or if they must be removed to maintain or replace liners, idlers, skirts or other parts.
It is difficult to properly align the frame members when assembling the conveyor structure so that the wear plates and skirts have proper clearances.
A pivotable frame for supporting skirts, inner liners and wear plates adjacent the opposing sides of conveyor belts allows the frame to be pivoted on the supports while still attached to the conveyor frame and allows a single worker to tilt the frame and access the conveyor idlers and the skirt and/or wear plates for inspection, adjustments, and maintenance or replacement of parts.
The frame when tilted for access forms a table for setting the liners, tools, parts and supplies thereon.
Since no disassembly and reassembly of the frame is required the costs of operating the system are reduced and the down time is likewise reduced. Further, since one man can tilt the frame down the number of laborers is reduced, and since no heavy parts need to be handled or removed injuries are avoided.
The skirts or liners are easily adjusted vertically by moving the skirt relative to its supporting bracket or by vertically moving the bracket itself.
Since the top and bottom walls of the conveyor assembly are modular and easy to assemble and disassemble it is easier to construct and remove the conveyor assembly.
Bushings on the pivotable walls ensure proper alignment of the pivotable walls so that the liners and skirts are in the proper position and there is less wear on the apertures of the pivotable walls.
It is an object of the invention to reduce the costs of maintaining and replacing side skirts, liners and ceramic tiles used with conveyor belts for transporting abrasive bulk materials.
It is an object of the invention to increase the safely of maintaining a conveyor belt skirt system of the type described.
It is an object of the invention to provide ready access to the inner wear liners and the rubber skirt member for inspection, adjustments, maintenance and replacement of parts.
It is an object of the invention to provide a conveyor side skirt assembly that allows ready access to the conveyor idler rollers for inspection, maintenance adjustments and replacement of parts.
It is an object of the invention to eliminate the need to remove the frame holding the skirts on the conveyor to gain access the inner wear liner, ceramic plates, skirt and conveyor idler wheels.
It is an object of the invention to provide a construction that allows adjustment of the vertical position of the liner and skirt on the skirt support bracket more easily.
It is an object of the invention to adjust the vertical position of the lower wall easily.
It is an object of the invention to provide a conveyor belt side skirt assembly that dampens noise and dust.
It is an object of the invention to improve safety.
It is an object of the invention to make it easier to assemble and disassemble a conveyor system.
It is an object of the invention to reduce dust and corrosion to increase the life of the conveyor system.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.